When going through the motions really works...And when it doesn't...

I used to run a Zumba® business. 

You know Zumba®… latin and pop music + hyper fit instructors + fluorescent colored clothes? 

Yes? 

Okay, yes. You know it.

Anyway, I used to have folks come into Zumba® for all kinds of reasons. 

They loved to dance.

They were looking for community.

They needed to do something that was for them (only). 

Their friend said, “You’ve GOT to come to my class. It’s SO FUN,”—so they went.

Narrator: It was indeed, very fun. 

And sometimes, folks came in with the express goal of losing weight.

One of the things I would tell all my students was “Just get yourself to class, then follow your instructor. We’ll take it from there.”

In essence, all they had to do was show up and, quite literally, go through the (dance) motions by following the instructor. 

Let me tell you: people really lost weight. 

People who didn’t show up to lose weight ended up surprising themselves by losing weight. 

Because the community was fun, welcoming, enjoyable and those folks attended consistently, going through the motions created a transformational result. 

When you’re working on almost any goal, in the beginning, it is really okay to show up and go through the motions. 

SO LONG AS you are going through the motions consistently. 

You can do this in the beginning stages of:

• Getting into shape

• Learning a musical instrument

• Keeping your house clean and organized

• Meditating

• Reading more 

• Flossing daily (or doing any other small hygiene habit)

• Saving money 

You can see that in the beginning stages of creating a new habit, you really can just show up and go through the motions. 

If you show up and go through the motions again and again and again, eventually your body will get hardwired to do that thing daily and it will start to feel odd when you don’t do it.

You and I both know that this is how new habits are created. 

BUT.

When does it not work to go through the motions?

There are a few areas:

1. Fitness when you hit a plateau. At some point, you need to challenge your body in a new way so you can progress. You need to think about the muscles you’re working as you’re building that muscle. You need to consider what you’re eating. If you’ve been showing up and doing the same thing and nothing’s changing, there are potentially limiting beliefs or trapped emotions at work. Going through the motions can stop working.

2. Learning a musical instrument when you start to get into more complex pieces. At some point, you will need to learn how to create nuance with the way you’re playing. You need to set an intention for how to perform. You need to practice in a highly focused manner. You most likely need a more and more experienced teacher. 

3. Dating. I see this a lot. You can’t really go through the motions here and expect success. One of things I see again and again is an overall distaste towards dating, a sense of hopelessness in ever meeting someone, and a disgust towards dating apps. People, largely, have a ton of emotional baggage when it comes to finding a romantic partner. It’s so important to work on clearing up the stuff from the past so you can move forward, intentionally, with a sense of certainty around your success. Going through the motions with all of that stuff in your proverbial romantic backpack can make the process of dating super unpleasant. 

4. Business. Here’s the biggie. Tons of business marketing is built on the idea that you can show up and go through the motions of someone’s program and your business will work. In my experience, this CAN work, but you’ve got to have your mindset dialed in, your messaging clear, your skill set honed, your copywriting sharp, etc. You’ve got to show up to that table with a bunch of experience already under your belt in order to really take off. 

One of the biggest reasons I’m switching to business coaching in 2024 is because I think it is the MOST FUN and MOST SATISFYING to walk alongside my business clients as we build out a business that feels right for them individually. 

Everyone is different. 

Everyone shows up to the table with a different skill set. 

Everyone is working through a different bundle of emotional baggage. 

And everyone needs coaching that is slightly different for their unique business thumbprint. 

It is an absolute joy to show up to work and to be able to help all my clients make massive results by meeting them where they are and helping them to shift into the brilliant future version of themselves.

I love, LOVE my job. 

(To say I’m wildly enthusiastic about next year would be an understatement.)

If you’re creating a new habit, start showing up and going through the motions for as long as it takes until it feels uncomfortable not to.  

PS: Curious about what the business coaching package with me will look like in 2024? Let's chat.